East of East
words by Oana Stupariu, ENFF Film Coordinator
Not so long ago, many citizens of today’s European Union needed visas to travel across internal borders. While the EU’s enlargement brought a welcome exchange of people, ideas, and culture, it also sparked resentment, polarisation, and rising criticism of a “borderless world” – trends that contributed to slowing and de facto halting further EU expansion. Amidst the wave of retrenchment, rising nationalism, and xenophobia sweeping much of Europe – where right-wing parties gained power, referendums rejected immigrants, and some countries even left the Union – the Eastern Neighbours Film Festival continued to build bridges between cultures. For years, it has introduced Dutch audiences to films from Eastern and Southeastern Europe, advocating diverse perspectives and cinematic voices.
With the onset of the war in Ukraine, Western audiences’ attention towards Eastern Europe has sharply increased. We continue to champion this region, which remains central to our programming, while also expanding our gaze further east – to Central Asia. Not as close as Poland, not as far as Japan, this often-overlooked region is emerging as a vibrant hub of cinema, with recent successes on the festival circuit. As experts in cultural diplomacy, we are glad to offer our platform to those “East of East”. This year, we open the section with three films from Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, including our closing film “My Magical World”, which explores ambition and friendship in rural Azerbaijan.
On the Kazakh steppe, life unfolds under the weight of history. Zhanana Kurmasheva’s documentary “We Live Here” takes us to a former Soviet nuclear test site, where three generations confront its haunting legacy and reflect on humanity’s fragile relationship with the environment. In “Crickets, It’s Your Turn”, Olga Korotko crafts a visually intense thriller in which a young female photographer navigates desire, power, and control while confronting a predatory man. Every glance and gesture carry weight, drawing viewers into a quietly hypnotic space where curiosity and peril intertwine.
Together, these films showcase the courage, creativity, and resilience of filmmakers “East of East”, offering perspectives that challenge, move, and linger long after the screen goes dark.
